Coffee + Caffeine / The Real Deal

I know that this statement probably means nothing to you guys at this point, after me abandoning you and coming back multiple times sine mid-November, but I promise it’s true this time. I am back to blogging for good! I explained why I wasn’t posting much over winter break – between work and soaking up every minute of being at home, I just wasn’t interested being behind the computer.

And now, on my third day back at school, I can hardly believe it. On one hand it seems impossible that the entire month I had off has passed, and it feels like it did not even happen. On the other hand, though, first semester feels like it was a different life, so long ago, and now everything has changed. However, not everything is different.

I am atrociously addicted to caffeine

It’s not what you think, though. I don’t need coffee to feel “awake” – I drink it because I am in love with the taste, and savouring the different flavours is an art form to me. I just recently started drinking espresso – my taste buds finally adapted enough to get past the bitterness and appreciate the taste – and so the whole “coffee experience” is what I am in love with.

My body, however, seems to have other ideas. I didn’t even realize that I consumed no coffee on Monday. I obviously didn’t get to continue my habit of going to Credo (my cafe), and so I simply woke up, went to class, and continued on with my day.

Annnnnd, then I had to skip the two hour screening of my film studies class because I had such an awful migraine I was on the verge of vomiting.

World’s most appropriate picture.

This continued all afternoon and evening, leading me to take my last tylenol 3 from one year ago when I got my wisdom teeth out. T3s, you have served me well.

The headache actually continued this morning, until I finally got a coffee, and then it miraculously disappeared. Coincidence? Don’t joke with me. IT did get me thinking, though – I started to feel sick about four hours after waking up with no coffee. When I’m at home (I experienced this at Thanksgiving too) I can go all day with no coffee and feel 100% fine. At school, though, the moment I stray I am literally incapacitated by pain.

I think it’s an incredibly interesting situation and balancing act. There are two camps with opposite viewpoints – one recommends coffee and touts its health benefits, and the other trashes it, calls it “unnatural” and proclaims tea to be the be all and end all. I think it’s pretty clear which camp I’m in – I will never give up coffee. I am far too in love with it and the entire cafe culture (did I mention I want to drop out of school and become a barista?) to even consider that option. BUT it is incredibly annoying to have to force a Starbucks down because my only other option is collapsing on the frozen sidewalk in agony.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with drinking coffee regularly – it improves athletic performance, contains antioxidants, and is seriously comforting. A cup of warm, delicious liquid on a cold morning to start the day? It can do wonders for my mood, and for others too.

Yes, it is habit-forming, and a lot of people will shy away from that. I think the name of the game in this situation is to be aware of said habit, and sip smartly. <- yup, I just created my own tagline for coffee. Went. There.

Tips for being a healthy coffee drinker

Drink in moderation. During the computer science days (oh, how we miss those…) I was downing upwards of 400mg of caffeine per day. The chemical boost wasn’t necessary for my sanity, but the comfort aspect was, and for that reason I have no regrets. The same goes for drinking while I was at home. That coffee (Intelligentsia) is the nectar of the gods and no way was I not savouring every single bit I could get. Again, I wasn’t drinking it for a boost, it was purely pleasure. No. Regrets. But I’m confident I reached 600mg of caffeine a few days, which is sort of the opposite of this tip.

Consume quality. I’m going to be a Starbucks hypocrite. I hate the taste and the company BUT I will drink it in desperate situations (such as being about to vomit in class). However, organic, humanely sourced coffee is the ONLY way to go. We see everyone, including healthy living bloggers, all about the organic fruits / vegetables to avoid pesticides and antibiotics, but ignoring the label when it comes to coffee. Pesticides are a real thing in coffee, not to mention growers being treated like vermin. I personally recommend Intelligentsia. 🙂

Keep yourself balanced. You could do what I did on Monday: become incredibly exhausted, eat no real meals throughout the day, drink zero water AND stop drinking coffee cold turkey. OR, you could maintain organ function and remember to treat yourself extra well if you are drinking the back stuff regularly.

Post navigation

5 thoughts on “Coffee + Caffeine / The Real Deal”

Ahhhh coffeee. The love of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced withdrawal symptoms like headaches and whatnot, but I know I’m pretty dependent on it as a mood booster and to help with my productivity. Caffeine doesn’t affect me too strongly in terms of sleeping after, but I am a working machine when I get my triple shot nonfat latte hahah. I’ve been drinking this tea drink that I got in Japan, though, and it’s AMAZING. I’ve been alternating that with coffee most days and feel great :). And a big YES to coffee being comforting. Nothing like a warm cup ❤

Okay, do NOT take this as me sounding all coffee-snob-y, but have you considered switching to 1% milk? It makes the milk steep soooooo so much better and brings out the espresso flavours better. Just a suggestion. 😉 But three shots at once? Damn girl, I’m sure you are a machine.

I forced myself to stop drinking coffee over winter break. I’ve been having a (large) cup every morning for the past 4 years, and I was tired of how I had to search for coffee every morning. It was such a pain when I was on vacation looking for my coffee fix. I’m drinking tea now, and I miss coffee so much. I love the taste and the routine of making my coffee in the morning. I’m buying some decaf coffee so I can still enjoy it without becoming addicted again.

have you heard of teacino? its an herbal blend made to taste like coffee, and you even brew it like coffee! no caffeine. or maybe try decaf? although I know that can be an insult to some coffee fanatics, sorry 😉
me, I’m a tea drinker. I can have like 3 a day, no problem, but more then 1 (8oz) cup of decaf and im jittery and scatterbrained!
of course, if you’re getting coffee from the shop because you cant brew it yourself, I suppose the teacino wont help… haha